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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. staff — employees
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mate — to breed
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. mate — a partner
  11. staff — employees
  12. mine — for digging
  13. foot — a measure
  14. cold — not warm
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. mate — a friend
  17. staff — a stick
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — high quality
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. cold — an illness
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. mine — belonging to me

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com